blueseventy has confirmed it is fully committed to a long term involvement to swimming, following the FINA announcement yesterday, Tuesday 28th July, that swimmers must return to more traditional suits from next year.

However, the date of the change over is yet to be defined, and manufactures remain in the dark about the exact definition of textile suits. Permeability will be a key issue as swimmers return to shorts (above the knee and up to the navel) for men and suits from the knee to the neck for women, with no zips.

Ceo, Steve Nicholls said: “We’ve been amazed at the way in which we've been supported by swimmers and the swimming fraternity, and are committed to returning that support through a long term swimming program. While we accept there is a need for change, we still have major concerns over the nature of the changes, in particular, we don’t understand why there is no parity between male and female swimmers, in terms of coverage, and we’re frustrated that definitive guidelines on fabrics will not be available until the end of September.”

“The commercial implications of this decision should not be overlooked. Our technical direction and design plans hinge on the types of fabrics that will be permitted. We know suits can only be 0.8mm thick, but we'd prefer to have more details in order to design the best possible suit that swimmers will want to wear. However, the limited time period for development will suit a brand like us that is able to move quickly."

Three-time Olympic Champion Rowdy Gaines is concerned that yesterday’s announcement will be detrimental to the sport. “I think the bodysuit is great for the sport. It gets the average person to talk about our sport and it gets people involved who maybe would not have done so. People love to see fast swimming.”

He added: “Many other sports are greatly influenced by technology, everything from motor racing to golf and tennis. I fear that young age group swimmers will be lost to the sport because they can’t achieve the times they have done previously in a bodysuit. I also worry that casual fans will fade away when there’s no longer a frenzy of world records.”

As well as having a loyal following amongst pool swimmers, blueseventy was the first brand to design a suit specifically for open water racing. The Nero 10k suit was worn by Olympic Champion, Maarten vd Weijden in Beijing last year and by medal winners in World Championships events last week. All versions of the blueseventy swimskin were approved even before the Speedo LZR racer and have been in wide circulation ever since.

Steve Nicholls added: “There’s an argument that open water suits should fall under separate guidelines. Open water swimming is the sports newest Olympic discipline and swimmers and coaches need to have a voice in shaping its development, including the type of swimwear that is to be allowed. It is also undertaken in a variety of different conditions, and just from a safety perspective one could argue that different applications of these rules could apply.”

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Open Water events in Rome are in full swing under the hot Italian sun. Yesterday the course played host to the men's and women's 10k swims. Now an official Olympic event, the 10k is even more competitive than ever. Keri-Anne Payne of Great Britain took victory in the women's field amongst a sea of blueseventy suits. On the men's side Andrew Gemmell from the good old US of A came in second in blueseventy with American teammate Fran Crippen in third.Up next are the daunting 25ks...not for the faint of heart. Ciao for now!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Well what an incredible venue and atmosphere at this world championships. The 10k event was underway this morning under clear sky's and weather that will surely demand the English man cracks open some factor 35. Watching the events with the blueseventy team are Olympic Champion Maarten Van Der Weijden, His Girlfriend Daisy, Steve Munatones (The Oracle of open water swimming) Michelle form Australia and two very excited parents of the USA open water swimmer Emily Brunemann. Picture and videos will be streaming to the blog as as when between meeting some of the great people i the world of open water allow. (For latest updates go to www.thewaterisopen.com)

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Our very own Guy Crawford and Dean Jackson are already in Rome covering the open water races kicking off today with the Men's and Women's 5k. Check out Guy's blog entry below:

"The first day has seen a phenomenal success for all athletes wearing the blueseventy 10k swimskins.

Results: Bronze Medal for POLIANA OKIMOTO ( Brazil) in the Women’s 5km competitionSadly no medals in the men’s race but with the blueseventy nero 10k suit being the only Open Water specific swimskin it was clear which swimsuit was the preferred brand.

Activities:Maarten Van Der Weijden Olympic Gold Medalist joined myself (Guy) and Steve Munatones to give a live twitter update of the race that was witnessed by several thousand (so our sources lead us to believe)We helped Maarten to gain a VIP pass for the duration of the event (can you believe a Gold Medalist didn’t get one!!) For this Guy had to show a nipple….

Additionally, strong and future profitable alliances were made with all National Governing Bodies partaking in Open Water events (Specifically GB, USA and Brazil)

Further conversations with the BBC are looking fruitful for a televised piece from our living room showing all our suits on Thursday. For this Guy had to show other nipple….

Update: Found that Italy does not believe in the internet, IT has a different meaning here. BUT we will find a way for more in-depth reporting following another day in the water. (thanks to Jane in our New Zealand office for typing this up via phone)

Signing off 10.50pm ROMA time 2009AD"

Stay tuned for more updates and be sure and check out Guy's blog at http://blueseventyguy.blogspot.com and Roque's 'Roque n' Roll' blog at www.roque-n-roll.blogspot.com for interviews and inside info!

On Saturday July 11, athletes took to Dorney Lake for the first ever blueseventy Great Big Open Water Swim. The cloudy, overcast conditions couldn’t put a damper on the excitement at the start. The event hosted 2 race distances, the 1 mile or the 3K race. Olympic champion and blueseventy ambassador Maarten Van Der Weijden made a special trip from Holland to compete in the 3K. Initially Maarten was the heavy favorite in the event but Richard Stannard made a last minute entry into the swim to compete in his first race since a serious bike crash last month.

From the start of the 3k, Van Der Weijden, Stannard and Bradley Hales pulled away from the pack swimming neck and neck for most of the race. Maarten used his trademark ‘slipstreaming’ technique right behind Stannard until the final .5k where he powered forward to capture the lead. With only seconds separating the trio, they raced up the beach to the finish. Reminiscent of Beijin, Maarten out sprinted Stannard at the finish to win by one second with Hales finishing in third just a few seconds back."It’s my third time racing in the UK" said Van Der Weijden. "The venue here at Dorney Lake is perfect for open water swimming but this was a hard race for me today and there was tough competition out there from Richard Stannard. I officially retired in December 2008 but I’m still doing some training. The Swim today was great. I really enjoyed following Richard Stannard around the 3k course. The buoys were well marked out and the water temperature great for me. blueseventy have helped me out throughout my career and it is great to be able to use one of their suits to promote the Great Big Open Water Swim".

Friday, July 17, 2009

blueseventy is raffling off a trip for two to Kona for the Ironman World Championships this October! Trip includes 2 roundtrip tickets to Kona along with a 3 night stay at Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort from Friday Oct. 9 to Monday, Oct. 12 for the race!

Qualifying for this amazing offer is easy! Any athlete who demos a blueseventy wetsuit at Ironman Lake Placid, Ironman Canada, or Ironman Wisconsin will be automatically entered into the raffle for the trip. Additionally, any athlete who purchases a blueseventy wetsuit at any of the listed events will receive 6 additional raffle tickets!

We will have a full fleet of suits for you to try at all 3 of those events so be sure to stop by & try a suit to be entered to win a trip for 2 to Kona!

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

blueseventy announces the Swimskin Buy Back Program to help consumers in light of the new regulations detailed in FINA’s Dubai Charter. The blueseventy Swimskin Buy Back Program is the first of its kind in the industry and is designed to help individual consumers and college athletic programs make the transition with ease while lessening the financial impact to buy a FINA compliant swimskin in 2010.

blueseventy swimskins always have been and always will be FINA compliant. As a company, blueseventy is fully supportive of the effort made by FINA to regulate the effects of technology in the sport The blueseventy Buy Back Program will help consumers buy a new swimskin, when the changes go into effect January 1, 2010.

The buy back program is easy:

• Buy a blueseventy “Nero” swimskin, tight or jammer after April 1, 2009

• Enjoy the new found potential of your swimming until December 31, 2009

• Bring your eligible blueseventy product and receipt to a participating dealer in January 2010 and receive a reduction in the retail of your new “Like for Like” Nero product. Rebate value will be 50% of the like for like product form the new 2010 FINA legal line.

• Rebate period will be a three week period to be designated in the first quarter of 2010 as we find out more about the requirements for suits for the 2010 season from FINA.

“We are delighted to be able give something back to the competitive swimmer who we believe right now is caught in the changes taking place,” says Dean Jackson, blueseventy Marketing manager. “For us it is about servicing the swimmer and delivering a program that offers value in a world where the changes are beyond their control, yet they have to meet the consequence” Jackson, adds, “We could not have offered this without the support of our dealers and we thank them for working with us in keeping the category alive throughout the rest of 2009 and offering value into 2010.”

The blueseventy Swimskin Buy Back Program is currently available at U.S & UK . dealers currently, The company plans on rolling out the program internationally in the next few weeks.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Alistair Brownlee of Great Britain is undeniably one of the most dominant forces in triathlon today.This past weekend Brownlee made it three for three with a victory at the Kitzbuhel Dextro Energy Triathlon – ITU World Championship Series in Austria. He remains undefeated in the series following wins in both Madrid and Washington DC.Looking strong in the swim, Brownlee exited the water with the leading pack but suffered a setback while transitioning to his bike where he lost a shoe. It was just a matter of minutes before Alistair was back with the lead pack though.Reminiscent of both Madrid and Washington DC, Brownlee made his move on the run, accelerating past opponents Javier Gomez and Laurent Vidal. He extended his lead to 100 meters, remaining calm and relaxed. Gomez made a move but Brownlee held him off to take victory with Gomez taking second and Vidal in third.At only 21 years old, Alistair is taking the triathlon world by storm and is the current leader in the ITU World Championship Rankings at the half way point:

Monday, July 13, 2009

What an amazing week at World Championship Trials! The US Team is looking strong and is ready to race in Rome. There were some great swims this past week including an American Record by Julia Smit in the Women's 200m IM in blueseventy! Check out the video below with our own Roque Santos with a wrap up from the weeks events:

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Nathan Adrian (Junior @ Cal) won the 50 free 2 nights ago and took first in the 100 last night as well to sweep the sprint eventsElaine Breeden of Stanford took third in the women's 200m fly in a blueseventyRyan Lochte came within tenths of a second of Michael Phelps's World Record in the 200m IM and the Women's 200m backstroke was a photo finish with Elizabeth Beisel out touching the 15 year old Elizabeth Pelton.

The seemingly unstoppable Michael Phelps won the 100m Fly, breaking Ian Crocker's World Record.In the mens 50m Free Nathan Adrian came from outside for the win while top seed Cullen Jones and Garrett Weber-Gale tied for second place.The women's 400m Individual Medley was a neck and neck race the last 100 meters with Elaine Breeden coming out just ahead of Julia Smit in a blueseventyKasey Carlsen took 2nd and earned a spot on the US World Championship Team in the 100m breastroke in a blueseventy, right behind Rebecca Soni who achieved a new American Record.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Our own 'Roque n Roll' Santos is at the US World Championship Trials this week in Indianapolis, Indiana and gives us a play by play update from his blog http://roque-n-roll.blogspot.com/ shown below:

"The road to Rome starts in Indy, and the World is watching as the suits wars are in full swing! Oh want fun it is!! Swimmers have to make a choice and they have to believe that they are in the best suit for them! One year ago our little known company was on the pool deck at the USA Olympic Trials and Gil Stoval was the only USA athlete to make the team in a blueseventy nero comp! We've made huge strides forward from that day.

Now in Indy after three days, we have three women in four events making our USA World Championship Swimming Team.

Julia Smit from Stanford has made the team in the 200 IM with a New American Record!! BOOM! She also made the team in the 400IM. Julia did have her suit taken from the locker room.. Suit must be good!

Hayley McGregory missed out USA Team twice last year by placing 3rd in both the 100 & 200 back.. However, in the blueseventy she was the champion in the womens 100 back and will be heading to Rome!

Kasey Carlson...Set the High School standard in the 100 yard breaststroke this year in a blueseventy. Last night she made her first World Championship team in the same event and the same suit!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Our very own Sharon Bates competed last weekend at Dorney Lake, Eton in the UK in the Human Race Timex Sprint Tri.

When she isn't busy in our UK office, Sharon has been training away for her first triathlon and finished with flying colors. She is an incredibly valuable member of our blueseventy team and it's great to see her hard work pay off.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

The stage was set for Bella Comerford to take over the championship, while three-time winner, Marino Vanhoenacker, was back to see if he could turn that into a four.

The women's race was opened up by TBB and blueseventy’s athlete Lucie Zelenkova, who came out with the leading men. A win in South Africa in April had wet her appetite for the podium places. Team mate Bella Bayliss lagged a little on the swim, so Zelenkova's tactic was clearly to get out of sight and out of mind. Co-incidentally, this was exactly what Vanhoenacker was doing as he flew out of T1 and immediately set about building a clear buffer.

While Vanhoenacker's tactic paid off in spades, even Björn Andersson's attempt to bridge-up failed (and effectively doomed his race at the same time). Zelenkova was caught and passed by Bayliss before T2.

Marino's lead was such that it wasn't just a case of winning, but whether he could crack that magic eight-hour mark. In the end he slowed just enough that he missed the sub-eight, but still claimed a new course record and took home a fourth winners cheque. Bayliss had lit the afterburners and was heading for an emphatic win which, as a by-product, also gave her a sub-nine time, the second fastest official time ever. Even Sonja Tajsich, her nearest rival, managed to squeak under the clock to joint the sub-nine club - the second year in a row Austria has delivered two women at sub-nine times.

Revelation of the race has to be South African and TBB/Blueseventy athete James Cunnama, who worked with the chase group and then set about delivering a run that was perfectly measured to keep him in second place. He couldn't catch Vanhoenacker, but he could certainly hold off last year's runner-up, Stephen Bayliss, (again TBB and blueseventy athlete) who had to settle for third place this time.

Blueseventy and TBB congratulate all ther athletes for such a strong showing at the front end of the field.

Monday, July 6, 2009

In yet another exciting day of racing in Frankfurt, Blueseventy’s own Timo Bracht set a course record in winning his second Ironman European Championship, while Sandra Wallenhorst won the much-anticipated showdown with Yvonne Van Vlerken to take the women's crown in Frankfurt.

Bracht used a blazing 2:43 marathon split to run his way to the men's title today, passing Eneko Llanos with seven km of the marathon remaining and flew into the spectacular finish here at historic Romer, setting a course record with his 7:59:16 finish. Bracht had started the run with last year's champion, Chris McCormack, about three minutes behind Llanos, who had remained ahead of the two men after the swim and through the entire bike ride. Bracht looked like he would have to settle for third after the 2007 Ford Ironman World Champion surged away from him and caught up to Llanos, who finished second to McCormack here a year ago after dueling with theAustralian through the marathon.

Just when it looked likeMcCormack was goin to run his way to another win here in Frankfurt,he suddenly stopped because of cramps. Bracht flew by McCormack and surged past Llanos into the lead. McCormack hung on for third, followed by Andreas Raelert, who had led for parts of the swim and bike today before slowing dramatically at the start of the marathon. Raelert,competing in only his second Ironman, gathered himself and finished a solid fourth. Roundingout the top five was Mathias Hecht.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Swimmers at the European Junior Championships will be able to wearblueseventy bodysuits in Prague next month after LEN, the European swimming federation, corrected an earlier statement saying they would not be permitted.

An initial statement from LEN on 24 June indicated that blueseventy suitswould not be allowed, but the governing body had not been in touch withblueseventy regarding the matter. LEN indicated that they would go withFINAs approved suit list of 19 May 2009, disregarding the recently updatedlist, which includes all current models of blueseventy bodysuits.

A later statement reversed this, indicating that 'the latest published list (FINA PR46, June 22nd) of approved swimsuits will be respected at all LEN Events (including Open Water Swimming events) until further notice from FINA.'

blueseventy welcomes this amendment, enabling the Europe's leading juniors to compete under exactly the same conditions as the seniors.